Julie Katz and Edward Manzo Among Six Receiving National Recognition
On March 23, Husch Blackwell’s Julie A. Katz and Edward D. Manzo received Linn Inn Alliance Distinguished Service Medals at the annual New York Intellectual Property Law Association’s Judges Dinner.
The Linn Inn Alliance incorporates 16 intellectual property-focused American Inns of Court (AIC) throughout the United States. The AIC comprises judges, lawyers and other legal professionals committed to improving the skills, professionalism and ethics of the bench and bar.
An Intellectual Property Department Partner in the firm’s Chicago office, Katz was honored for her service to the Linn Inn Alliance as the group’s liaison. As the liaison, Katz organizes member networking events across the U.S. and is currently assisting with the creation of a Detroit-based Intellectual Property American Inn of Court.
Katz has exclusively practiced intellectual property law for more than 20 years and works primarily on trademark, copyright, patent, trade secret and unfair competition litigation spanning various technologies and industries. She also handles intellectual property licensing and business transactions, including prosecution of trademarks and copyrights in the United States and IP portfolio management internationally.
Also an Intellectual Property Partner in Chicago, Manzo was honored by the Linn Inn Alliance for his Claim Construction Game® lecture presented to Alliance members, which covers invaluable insight into Federal Circuit claim interpretation law.
Manzo has practiced intellectual property law for over 35 years and has been recognized as a Top 100 Illinois Super Lawyer® for the past three years. He handles IP litigation in all courts, portfolio development, and client counseling. He has done extensive patent work in semiconductors, consumer products, computing systems, pattern recognition, storm water retention systems and medical technologies. In addition, he is the editor-in-chief of two annual Thomson West books on the subject of patent claim interpretation, and he is lead author of a Thomson West monograph entitled “Patent Reform 2011: The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act: Commentary and Analysis.” Manzo also co-authored the local patent rules for the Northern District of Illinois (effective Oct. 1, 2009) and the Seventh Circuit pattern jury instructions for patent cases (adopted in 2008).
Husch Blackwell has more than 80 Intellectual Property attorneys, primarily located in the firm’s Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Omaha and St. Louis offices. The group’s legal and technical knowledge guides Husch Blackwell clients in transactions involving intellectual property acquisition, development, maintenance, protection, enforcement and commercialization. Intellectual Property Today magazine recently named Husch Blackwell as a Top 100 Patent Firm and Top 10 Trademark Firm for 2011.